11.45am: It's the first prime minister's questions of the new session, and so the first big parliamentary setpiece for the Commons' 120 new MPs.

The clock is also ticking for the Tory leader, Michael Howard, who has said he wants to return to the backbenches by Christmas.

Today's session is likely to focus on the reintroduction of the controversial ID cards bill this lunchtime. In the wake of the election, policy issues are still somewhat amorphous, with the Lib Dems conducting a policy review, and the Tories on hold until they select a new leader. However the upcoming G8 conference at Gleneagles is on ministers' minds, as well as Labour's pledge to focus on respect on the street in this parliamentary legislative term.

Midday: Mr Blair begins by wishing Liverpool the best of luck in tonight's European Champion's League final.

Labour's Patrick Hall begins with a joke, revealing he won a pen autographed by the PM at a Bedford school charity auction. The Tories drown him out for seeming to suck up to his boss. He ends by praising the government's commitment to Africa. Aid has tripled, says Mr Blair.

12.05pm: Michael Howard's turn - "resign!" chorus Labour MPs. A Liverpool fan, he sends the team his best wishes, before arguing that headteachers should have the final say on school expulsions.

The PM says a headteacher his heading the government's report into expulsions.

The Tory leader jokes that the appeals system is open to abuse - for instance, every time Mr Blair sacks a minister, he or she appeals to Mr Brown and is reinstated!

The PM coolly responds that the government will wait for the committee's report. "When I was at school, if you got told off at school, you got told off at home, it's time we returned to that," he adds.

Mr Blair says he's interested in special units within schools for misbehaving pupils, while Mr Howard complains the government has had eight years to deal with the problem.

12.10pm: Mr Howard changes tack, to ask if Hazel Blears' idea of uniforms for community sentence offenders is a "goer or not".

"You're the goer," heckle Labour MPs. "Is it government policy or not?" hits back Mr Howard.

Mr Blair slips in an attack for the Liberal Democrats for opposing antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos).

Siobhain McDonagh, a Labour backbencher, brings up the question of a constituent whose identity has been stolen - can the government do anything to help? "Shame" coo some MPs at this shameless curtain-raising for this afternoon's ID cards bill.

12.15pm: Charles Kennedy quotes Adair Turner, head of the Pensions Commission, as calling pensions policy a "complete shambles". That's not what he says in his interim report, counters Mr Blair.

Labour's Doug Henderson asks what Mr Blair will be doing over the next six weeks to boost London's 2012 Olympics bid. "We've got the best technical bid in the field," says the PM.

The Isle of Wight's Andrew Turner complains that pet cemeteries are classified as potential landfill sites under EU regulation, potentially putting "Pets At Rest", a local firm, out of business - "what will he do about it?"

Mr Blair expertly puts Mr Turner down by simply replying: "I don't know - I will get back to him."

The PM instead asks for the media to pay more attention to smaller parliamentary debates in its parliamentary coverage.

Tory MP for Macclesfield Sir Nicholas Winterton asks if the EU constitution will be "dead and buried" if the French or anyone else reject it in a referendum?

"What happens if countries vote no - and so far no country has - [is that] there will have to be a discussion at the European council. There's really nothing else to say on it at this time," says Mr Blair.

Democratic Unionist Nigel Dodds says the "democratic desire" of the election results is clearly to ban Sinn Féin from the power-sharing assembly. "If the republicans want to get into government, there's got to be an end to all of it [paramilitary crime and violence]" says Mr Blair. "I can only tell people how it is."

12.30pm: Labour's Louise Ellman points out that the reintroduction of the road safety bill will see a reduction in points and fines for people speeding at 40pmh in 30mph zones. Mr Blair says 20mph limit-breakers will not be given reduced penalties, but the bill is a "common sense measure." She is cheered by some Labour backbenchers.

Tory Andrew Tyrie asks whether the EU rebate is non-negotiable, yes or no? Mr Blair doesn't quite give him the answer he wants, saying the government's position is that the rebate should remain.